Smoker&#39;s article



- y 8, 1940. E. R. FRAN'TZ 2,202,342

, SMOKERS ARTICLE Filed Nov. 8, 1937 /IIIIITI)A VII Hi5 ATTORNEYS Patented May 28 1940 SMOKE'RS ARTICLE Elmer Frantzg ch icago, Ill. 7 ApplicationNovember 8, 1937, Serial l\lo.. 173,482

' 1 Claim. o1. 3 1 211) permit the smoke to be easily drawn through the passage with the valve so arranged as to automatically assume a closed position to prevent the 10 passage of saliva into the smoke passage beyond the valve. 7 I i Another object is to provide a stem structure including a suction responsive valve and in which the valve is located inside a chamber provided 5 with fibrous material for absorbing moisture.

A further object is to provide a stem'structure including a smoke passage in the nature of a tube having its inlet end located inside a relatively large chamber with the inlet end so posiigo tioned as to prevent the entrance of nicotine.

In the accompanying drawing: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a pipe with the stem broken away to illustrate the invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the 5 stem structure;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the valve and the moisture absorbing part with all the parts' in de- 30 tached relation for the sake of clearness.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, I make use of the conventional pipe bowl including a stem structure 12. The stem structure comprises a stem part l4 integrally connected with the bowl l0 and a mouthpiece 16. Part I4 is provided with a small bore 18 having communication' with the bowl |0,.which bore terminates in a large bore 20threaded at '22 for the reception of the threaded neck of the coupling 40 element 26. Part I6 includes a large bore 28 threaded at 30' for connection with the threaded neck 32 of the coupling member 26. The coupling member includes a flange 34 which abuts the ends of the parts l4 and l6 when connected ac- 45 cording to Fig. 2. -Mouthpiece l6 includes a small bore 36 having communication with the large bore 28 at its highest point.

Coupling member 26'is bored at 38 for the reception of a tube 40 pressed therethrough and 00 fixedly connected with the member as by Welding 42. One end of the tube 4ll'extends into the bore 20 and has its end closed, as at 44, but provided with a narrow slot 46 for the entrance of smoke. The closed end 44 is axially aligned with the small bore I8 but is-spaced therefrom and is substantially concentrically arranged with the large bore: 20. Thus, smoke may be drawn through the tube 40, but it is so located within the chamber 20as to preventthe entrance of tobacco, by-products of -co mbustion,- etc. Nicotine may accumulate in the chamber 20, but such accumulation is preventedfrom entrance into the tube.

The opposite end of the tube 40 extends into the bore 28 and is provided with a suction responsive valve 46. The valve comprises a head 48.

bored at 50 to have a' pressed fit with'the end of the tube 40. Head 48 carries a'flapvalve 52 which normally lies in closed relation with the head. In Figs. 3 and 4, I illustrate the head 48 as being provided with ears 54 between which the bored lug 56 on the flap valve 52 is positioned. Ears 54 are provided with openings aligning with the bore 56 for the reception of a pin 58 which I hingedly connected the flap valve with the head. The head includes a bore communicating with the tube'4l). I

1 Fig. 2 illustrates the end of the tube within the bore 28 as being offset slightly in a downward direction so as to provide additional accommodation for the-valve structure 46 within the bore 28. The head 48 includes two sonically-shaped valveseats 62 and 64 which are tapered in oppo-' site directions but arranged in concentric'rela tion. Similarly, the flap valve 52 is provided with complementary'valve seats 66 and 68 arranged to have seating relation with the valve seats'62 and 64, respectively. Fig. 2 illustrates the normal position of the flap valve 52,'at which time the smoke passage represented by the tube 40 is effectively closed to prevent the entrance of saliva.

In operation, the flap valve 52 opens easily in response to suction to permit the passage of smoke through the valve structure. Any entrance of saliva into the bore 28 is sealed from the tube becauseof the valve structure 46. -Referring to 40 Fig. 2, it will be noted that the small bore 36 curves upwardly inwardly of the mouthpiece so.

4 To this end a plug 10 of fibrous material is positioned inside the bore 28. The neck 32 is 'bored I at 12 for receiving the constricted end 14 of the plug 10,. and the plug fits snugly within the bore 28*andabout the tube 40. Thus. any accumulation of free flowing moisture or saliva in the bore 2a is absorbed by the plug 10. The plug is split,

as at T6 in Fig. 4, to facilitate connection with the tube 40.

Because of the close fitting relation between the valve seats 62 and 64 and the complementary seats 66 and 68, moisture is prevented from entering the tube 40, but the flap valve 52 responds easily to suction so as not to impede the passage of smoke. Flap valve 52 is gravity responsive so as to close immediately upon cessation of the suctional forces. The plug 10 may be replaced by merely unscrewing the mouthpiece I6 from the neck 32. Similarly, the chamber 20 is accessible for cleaning purposes by merely unscrewing the neck 26 from the part l4.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will sofully explain my invention that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

In a smoking pipe, a stem comprising a first part having a smoke passage and an enlarged bore communicating therewith, a mouthpiece part having a smoke passage and an enlarged bore communicating therewith, said enlarged bores having internal threads, a coupling element having threaded necks coacting with the threads of said enlarged bores for detachably connecting said first part and said mouthpiece part in axial alignment, said coupling element having a flange normally abutting the adjacent ends of said first part and said mouthpiece part, a smoke tube extending axially through said coupling element with one end of the smoke tube projecting into the enlarged bore of the first part and the other end projecting into the enlarged bore of said mouthpiece part, the two ends of said smoke tube being respectively spaced from the walls of said enlarged bores, said coupling element having an axial bore, and a body of absorbent material having one end removably pressed into said axial bore and the remainder of the body projecting into the enlarged bore of said mouthpiece part and engaging the wall of the bore.

' ELMER R. FRANTZ. 

